Bale loading device



Nov. 5, 1946. R. E. MESSENGER ET AL v BALE LOADING DEVICE Filed Sept, 24, 1945.

Patented Nov. 5, 1946 i 2,410,516 BALE LOADING DEVICE Robert P. Messenger, Kenilworth, and Russel D.

Acton, Chicago, Ill., assignors to International Harvester Company, Chicago, Ill., a corpora.-

tion of New Jersey Application September 24, 1945, Serial No. 618,304

This invention relates to a bale loader. More specifically, it relates to a bale hoisting device for receiving bales. from a pick-up baler and lifting them into a vehicle trailed behind the baler. Pick-up balers are in wide use at the present time, said balers traveling through the field being drawn by tractors or possibly being self-propelled and picking up the crops to be baled directly from the windrow. Usually, the

bales are discharged from the baling chamber and drop to the ground, being subsequently picked up and loaded. As this requires a separate op- 9 Claims. (01. 214-100) eration, attempts have beenmade to load the bales directly into a trailed vehicle. Unless another man is on the wagon to re-arrange the bales, it is difiicult to load the bales on awagon merely by pushing them up an incline onto the wagon.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a bale-loading device for a pick-up baler which hoists the bales to a substantial height whereby they may be dropped into a largecapacity wagon having retaining sides and ends. With this type of. device much less frequent rearranging of the bales is required to fill the trailed wagon to capacity.

' Another object is to provide a tractor-mounted baler with power-operated means actuated by the power-lift mechanism of the tractor to load bales in a trailed vehicle, said means being op- 30 structure has two downwardly and outwardly extending brackets 35 through which a pivot shaft erable by the tractor operator.

Other more specific objects will be apparent from the detailed description to follow:

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the rear. 35

portion of a tractor-mounted baler and trailed vehicle connected to the tractor, and a balehoisting device arranged at the rear of the baler and cooperating with the trailed vehicle;

Fi ure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig- 3 is a section taken on the line tt of tional agricultural tractor are shown. Said trac- 45 tor has a narrow body It, rear-axle housings ii, one of which can be seen in Figure 1, and drive axles, one of which is shown in section in Figure 1, the wheel at the near side being removed to better show thefunctional parts of the structure. One tractionwheel i3 is shown at the far side of the tractor. A gasoline tank It and steering column i5, carried by a support It and a steering wheel ll, are also shown as parts of 1 on the rockshaft.

ing column support It.

is provided with a conventional power-lift mechanism including a transverse rockshaft l8 and an upwardly-extending lifting arm l9 mounted A control lever 20 for the power-lift mechanism is connected by a rod' 2! with a manually controlled lever 22 which is pivoted on aquadrant 23 mounted on the steer- By manual operation of the control lever 22, the position of the rockshaft 20 may be controlled at the will of the operator.

In the constructionillustrated the baler is carried directly on the tractor, a rearwardly-extending baling chamber 26 of a conventional design being illustrated as mounted directly on the axle housing II at one side of the tractor. A drawbar cured in trailing position behind the tractor, thetongue being secured to the drawbar 25 of the tractor by a connecting member so and a clevis pin M. A rack type body 32 having slatted sides of a substantial height is mounted on the wagon 'frame structure 26.

At the. rear of the baling chamber 24 an attaching bracket structure 33 is rigidly secured to the bottom wall of the baling chamber. Said 35 extends. Said pivot shaft also extends through oppositely spaced channel members 36, retaining members 37 being provided at the ends of the shaft 35 to maintain the channel members 36 in position. Said channel members are C- shaped in cross section, as best shown in Figure 3, to provide tracks for wheels or rollers 38 which are adapted to roll up and down the track members as will be described.

One set of rollers 38 is rotatably journaled on stub shafts 39, being retained thereon by threaded cap screws to. The stub shafts 39 have flat head portions M which are secured by welding to plates 42. Said plates are suitably secured by'weldingto a bale hoisting member designated in its entirety by the reference character d3. Said member has a bottom wall M curved downwardly at each end and upwardly extending side walls 45. 'The plates A2 are secured by welding to the lower side portions of the side walls t5. A second set of rollers or wheels 38, identical with those described and journaled in a similar the tractor structure. As illustrated, the tractor manner, is secured to the upper portions of the side walls 45 spaced a substantial distance from the lowerrollers 38 previously described.

' Referring to Figur 3, it will be noted that sleeves 46 are journaled on the stubshafts 39. Said sleeves are connected to a pair ofbars 41 which, in the position illustrated in Figure I,

extend rearwardly and upwardly from the bale hoisting member. The bars 41 are pivotally connected by pins 48, as best shown in Figure 2, to a pair of lever arms 49. Said lever arms are rigidly secured to a transverse shaft 50 rotatably .mounted on a bracket structure secured to the upper wall of the baling chamber at the forward end thereof. a i

A bracket 52, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, is secured to one of the arms 59 spaced from the pivot axis of the shaft 50. An expansible hydraulic device including a piston rod 53 pivotally connected at to the bracket 52 and a cylinder 55 pivotally connected at 55 to a bracket 51 mounted on the upper wall of the bale chamber, provides means for operating. the arms 49 for lifting the bale hoisting member.

A second hydraulic device including a piston rod 58 pivotally connected at 59 to the power- I lift arm 19 and a cylinder 50 pivotally connected at GI to a bracket '62 mounted on the body of the tractor, provides means for utilizing power from t the tractor power-lift mechanism for operating manual control lever 22 the operator may cause th lifting arm l9 to move in a counter-clockwise direction thereby forcing fiuid through the hose 63 and expanding the piston and piston rod 53 in the cylinder 55 and moving the arms 49 in a clockwise direction for operating the bale hoisting device. This operation may be reversed by moving the power lift arm 19 in a clockwise direction, thereby returning the bale hoisting member to its bale receiving position as shown in Figure 1.

A pair of cables 55 are connected to cars 58 on the bracket structure 5| and to ears 81 at a th upper ends of the track members 38 for maintainingthe hoisting structure in position whil permitting its upper pivoting movement in case it should be encountered by the wagon body 33 when irregularities are. encountered in the ground surface.

It will be noted that the track members 36 have a lower substantially horizontal .portion 68 and an upwardly inclined portion 59. Said track members are extended with another substantially horizontal portion 10 at their upper ends. Said extensions act, as shown by the dotted line position of the hoisting member 45, to tilt said memher by engagement with the spaced rollers 38. The bale which is being transferred is then tilted to the position shown dotted lines with the result that it slides from the hoisting member into the wagon. A plurality of rearwardly directed prongs H are provided to engage the bale and prevent its sliding forwardly during lifting movement of the hoisting memben' The C-shaped section of the track members 36 acts to maintain the track members in parallel relation. Additional means to stabilize the upper ends of said members is provided in the form of a ball or arch 12 which is secured to the rearmost ends of saidtrack member. Said ball is shaped to clear the bale during discharge therefrom and also during movement into discharge position. 7

The dotted-line positions of the arms 49 and the bars 41 are indicated in Figure 1 with the v bal hoisting member in the discharge position. It is to be understood that the cylinder 55 with its piston rod 53 will also be in extended position .when the bale hoisting member is in its discharge position. The cylinder 60 and its piston rod 58 will be in collapsed position when the bale is being discharged, and the power-lift arm [9 will'occupy a position spaced a substantial angular distance in a counter-clockwise position from the position shown in Figure 1. I

By means of a bale hoisting device as above described the operator may transfer the bales from their position adjacent the baling chamber to a position above the receiving wagon at a sufficient height to enable the piling of a large number of bales in the wagon without rearrangement. If desired, the operator may periodically re-arrange the bales in the back of the wagon to secure the best possible loading. or a man may ride in the wagon and stack the bales as they are discharged.

It is to be understood that applicants have shown and described only a preferred embodi ment of their power-actuated bale-loading device for pick-up balers,and that it is the intention to cover as part of applicants invention all modifications and forms. falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. -A.bale hoisting device particularly adapted for receiving balesfrom a pick-up baler and delivering them vertically and rearwardly to a trailed wagon, comprising in combination with the baler, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly and rearwardly extending channel members, means for mounting the channel members on the baler, a bale receiving member mounted between said channels, a pair of spaced rollers mounted on said member at each side thereof adapted to roll in said channel members as tracks, said channel members being angled downwardly at their upper ends to change the position of the bale receiving member so as to deliver the bale therefrom, a pair of operating links connected at the sides of said bale receiving member and extending rearwardly therefrom, a rock-shaft mounted above the bale chamber, said rock-shaft having a pair of arms pivotally connected to said links, and means connected to said rock-shaft for oscillating the same.

2. A bale hoisting device particularly adapted for receiving bales from a pick-up baler and delivering them vertically and rearwardly to a trailed wagon, comprising in combination with the baler, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly and rearwardly extending channel members, means for pivotaliy mounting the channel members on the baler on a transverse axis, a bale receiving member mounted between said channels, a pair- ,of spaced rollers mounted on said member at each side thereof adapted to roll in said channel members as tracks. said channel members being angled downwardly at their upper ends ed to said rock-shaft for oscillating the same,

and adjustable and flexible tension means connecting said channel members to the bale chamber, whereby downward movement of said members may be restricted and whereby the members may pivot upwardly about their axis when force is applied thereagainst.

3. A bale hoisting device particularly adapted for receiving bales from a pick-up'baler and delivering them vertically and rearwardly toa trailed wagon, said baler adapted to be connected to a tractor having a manually controllable oscillating power member thereon comprising in a combination with the tractor, said oscillating power member and the baler, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly and rearwardly extending track members, means for mounting the track mem s 6 mitting pressure from one to the other for raising and retracting the bale lifting member.

6. A bale hoisting device particularly adapted for receiving bales from a pick-up baler and delivering them vertically and rearwardly ,to a

' gle'd downwardly at their upper ends to change bers on the baler, a pale receiving and lifting member movably mounted between said track members, a hydraulic cylinder connected to said bale receiving member, a hydraulicv cylinder mounted on the tractor with a piston connected to the oscillating power member mounted thereon, flexible hose connecting said cylinders for transmitting pressure from one to the other, whereby the movement of said oscillating power member may be transmitted for raising .and' retracting the bale lifting member.

4. A bale hoisting device particularly adapted for receiving bales from a pick-up baler and delivering them vertically and rearwardly to a trailed wagon, said baler adapted to be connected to a tractor having a manually controllable oscillating power member. thereon comprising in combination with the tractor, said oscillating power member and the baler, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly and rearwardly extending track members, means for mounting the track members on the baler, a bale receiving and lifting member movably mounted between said track members, said track members being angled downwardly at their upper ends to change the position of the bale receiving member so as to deliver the bale therefrom, a hydraulic'cylinder connected to said bale receiving member, a hydraulic cylinder mounted on. the tractor with a piston connected to the oscillating power member mounted thereon, flexible hose connecting said cylinders for transmitting pressure from one to the other, whereby the movement of said oscillating power member may be transmitted for raising and retracting the bale lifting member.

5. A bale hoisting device particularly adapted for receiving bales from a pick-up baler and de livering them vertically and rearwardly to a trailed wagon, said baler adapted to be connected to a tractor having a manually controllable oscillating power member thereon comprising in combination with the tractor and the baler, an upwardly and rearwardly extending track structure mounted on the baler, a bale receiving mem-' ber slidably mounted on said structure, said structure being angled downwardly at itsupper ends to change the position of the balereceiving member so as to deliver the bale therefrom, op-

- crating means connected to said bale'receiving the position of the bale receiving member so as to deliver the bale therefrom, a pair of operating links connected at the sides of said bale receiving member and extending rearwardly therefrom, a

rock-shaft mounted above the bale chamber, said rock-shaft having a pair of arms pivotally connected to said links, ahydraulic cylinder con-' nected to said rock-shaft for oscillating the same, a hydraulic cylinder mounted on the tractor with a piston connected to the oscillating power member mounted thereon, flexible hose connecting said cylinders for transmitting pressure from one to the other,- whereby the movementof said am may be transmitted to said rock-shaft for raising and retracting the bale lifting member.

7; A bale hoisting device particularly adapted for receiving bales from a pick-up baler and delivering them vertically and rearwardly to a trailed wagon, said baler adapted to be connected to a tractor having a manually controllable oscillating power member thereon comprising in combination with the tractor and the baler, a pair of laterally spaced upwardly and rearwardly extending channel members, means for pivotally mounting the channel members on the baler on a transverse axis, a bale receiving member mounted between said channels, a pair of spaced rollers mounted on said member at each side thereof adapted to roll in said channel members as tracks, said channel members being angled downwardly at their upper ends to change the position of the bale receiving member so as to deliver the bale therefrom, a pair of operating links connected at the sides of said bale receiving member and extending rearwardly therefrom, a rock-shaft mounted above the bale chamber, said rock-shaft having a pair of arms pivotally connected to said links, a hydraulic cylinder connected to said rockshaft for oscillating the same,'a hydraulic cylinder mounted on the tractor with a piston connected to the oscillating power member mounted thereon, flexible hose connecting said cylinders for transmitting pressure from one to the other, whereby the movement of said arm may be transmitted to said rock-shaft for raising and retracting the bale lifting member and adjustable and flexible tension means connecting said channel members to the bale chamber, whereby downward movement of said members may be restricted and whereby the members may pivot upwardly about their axis when force is applied thereagainst.

8. A bale hoisting device particularly adapted for receiving bales from a pick-up baler and delivering them vertically and rearwardly to a trailed wagon, said baler adapted to be connected to-a tractor having manually controllable power take-on means thereon including means to provide fluid under pressure comprising in combination with the tractor, said power takeoi! means and the baler, an upwardly and rearwardly extending track structure, means for mounting the track structure adjacent the baler, a bale receiving and lifting member movably cylinder connected to said bale receiving member,

flexible hose connecting said cylinder and the means to provide fluid under pressure, whereby movement may be transmitted for raising and retracting the bale lifting member. v

9. A bale hoisting device for a baler adapted to be connected to a. tractor and in combination a manually controllable oscillating power member mounted on the tractor, an upwardly and rear-.

wardlyextending track structure secured'to the 'mounted along said track structure, a hydraulic or said devices, said conduit being adapted to confine a, medium for transmitting force from the piston 01 one device to the piston of the other device whereby power from the oscillating memher on the tractor may be transmitted to-the bale receiving member for raising and retracting the same.

ROBERT P. MESSENGER. RUSSEL-D. ACTON. 

